Head attached balancing toy



Nov. 9, 1965 v A. o. HING 3,216,725

HEAD ATTACHED BALANCING TOY Filed March 26, 1962 Ally 0. Hing INVENTOR.

BY fi v United States Patent M 3,216,725 HEAD ATTACHED BALANCING TOYAlly 0. Hing, R0. Box 607, Superior, Ariz. Filed Mar. 26, 1962, Ser, No.182,424 Claims. (Cl. 27397) The present invention generally relates to atoy, and more particularly to a toy normally positioned on the head ofthe user and activated by the use of various body motions such astwisting, bouncing or jumping.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is the provision ofa toy which will afford many hours of enjoyment to the user thereof.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a toy whichrequires only a minimum amount of space for the use thereof, thusresulting in a toy which can be used indoors as well as outdoors.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a toywhich can be adjusted in accordance with the varying ability of the useror users thereof.

Additionally, an object of the present invention is the provision of atoy which can be used while partaking in various other amusements, suchas dancing, foot racing, or other conventional games, so as to requirethe exercise of a greater amount of skill thus further increasing thechallenge of these other means of amusement.

Also, an object of the present invention is the provision of a toy whichis completely safe for the user thereof, relatively inexpensive tomanufacture, simple to use, and practically indestructible during theuse thereof.

A final object to be specifically enumerated herein is the provision ofa toy which comprises a resilient springy device having a first endwhich is engaged over the head of the user, a loosely wound spiralledcenter section, and a receptacle secured to the upper end of thespiralled center section loosely receiving an object therein capable ofbeing thrown out of the receptacle and subsequently again receivedtherein through the expansion and contraction of the resilient memberinduced by various movements of the body of the user.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the toy comprising the presentinvention in its normal or at rest position;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view of the present inventionillustrating the device in its contracted position about the head of theuser;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the device of the present invention with thereceptacle removed therefrom;

FIGURE 4 is a partial sectional view taken substantially on a planepassing along line 44 in FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a partial elevational view of the lower head engagingsection of the toy of the present invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeralgenerally designates the toy comprising the present invention. The toyof the present invention consists basically of three sections, a lowerhead engaging section 12, a central resilient or springy section 14, andan upper object receiving section 16. The lower section 12 and centralsection 14 comprise a plurality of integral convolutions formed ofmetal, plastic or any other suitable material.

The lower section 12 consists of a plurality of tightly wound coils 18shaped so as to conform to the head 20 of the user thereof. The uppercoil 22 terminates in an outwardly winding and loosely wound portion 24which 3,216,725 Patented Nov. 9, 1965 is integrally formed with thelower enlarged coil 26 of the loosely wound spiralled central section14, which in turn is composed of a plurality of upwardly diminishingcoils 28. The upper one of the coils 28 terminating in an outwardlyangled end 30 provided with a threaded outer surface 32 for engagementwith an internally threaded boss 34 on a receptacle 36 forming the uppersection 16 of the device 10. It will be noted that the receptacle 36 canalso be formed of metal, plastic, or any othersuitable material, andadditionally, may be secured to the outwardly extending end portion 30in any conventional manner.

An object 38, preferably a non-resilient ball, is generally locatedwithin the receptacle 36, and if so desired, may be attached thereto byan elongated string-like member 40 attached to the receptacle in anyconvenient manner such as extending the end of the string-like member 40through an aperture 42 and providing a knot 44 on the end thereof.

Additionally, attention i directed to the fact that the device 10 of thepresent invention can be formed of an elongated hollow plastic member,as best illustrated in FIGURE 4, provided with a valve means 46communicating with the interior 48 of the tubular member and providing ameans for the introduction of air thereto so as to vary the amount ofresiliency or springiness in the central section 14. It will also benoted that the upper end of the angled end portion 30 is open andadjustably sealed by the removable receptacle 36, thus allowing for theintroduction of water into the hollow interior 48 so as to provide asecond means for varying the amount of resiliency. Being able toincrease the resiliency of the device will enable the user thereof tomake the Operation thereof increasingly more difficult as his skillincreases thereby providing a continuous challenge. As is readilyapparent, the use of air or water pressure to increase the resiliency ofthe toy of the present invention requires that the hollow plasticconvolutions be formed of relatively soft plastic only suflicientlyrigid so as to provide a minimum amount of resiliency, thereby enablingthe use of the device either with or without the additional pressurewhile still providing for a wide range of variance in the resiliencythereof by the introduction of increasing amounts of pressure.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the convolution of the central section 14 areof such width so as to allow the device to completely encompass the headof the user upon being compressed downwardly thereby preventing anyundesirable contact while maintaining the maximum amount of springingaction. The provision of an enlarged lower coil 26 along with upwardlydecreasing coils 28 on the central section 14 results in a device havinga low center of gravity thereby facilitating the balancing of the entiredevice upon the users head.

From the foregoing, the manner in which the toy of the present device isused is considered to be readily apparent. The lower section of the toyconsists of a plurality of tightly wound convolutions adapted to engagethe head of the user. Integrally secured to and formed as a continuationof the head engaging section, is the central resilient section formed ofa plurality of convolutions loosely wound in an upwardly decreasingspiral, the majority of these central section convolutions being of asize so as to allow the central section to, upon compression thereof,encompass the head of the user. It will be noted that this centersection responds to the movement of the body of the user so as toreciprocate in a manner tending to discharge an object looselypositioned within a receptacle secured to the upper end of the centralsection thereby requiring a great degree of agility in order to returnthe discharged article to the receptacle. In addition to being used initself as a source of amusement, it is also contemplated that thepresent device be worn by the participants in various other conventionalgames involving movement, such as races, for the purpose of increasingthe difiiculty of such games. Also of significance, is the fact that, inone modified form of the present invention, the resiliency of the devicecan be varied so as to continue to present a challenge to the userthereof.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A balancing toy comprising a unitary resilient spring device providedat a first end with a head engaging section formed of a plurality oftightly wound convolutions, and a central section formed of a pluralityof loosely wound convolutions, said central section being substantiallyin the form of an upright spiral having an enlarged base and terminatingin an object receiving upper section, the uppermost convolution of thehead engaging section ending in an outwardly directed loosely woundconvolution terminating in and integrally formed with the enlarged baseof the spiral so as to allow for a vertical movement of that portion ofthe spring device above the head engaging section, said central sectionbeing of a size as to allow for its movement down about the headengaging section without contact therewith.

2. The device of claim 1 including means for varying the degree ofresiliency of the resilient spring device.

3. A balancing toy comprising a unitary resilient spring device providedat a first end with a head engaging section formed of a plurality oftightly wound convolutions, and a central section formed of a pluralityof loosely wound convolutions, said central section being substantiallyin the form of an upright spiral having an enlarged base and terminatingin an object receiving upper section,

the uppermost convolution of the head engaging section ending in anoutwardly directed loosely wound convolution terminating in andintegrally formed with the enlarged base of the spiral, said springdevice consisting of a hollow tubular member sealed at both ends andvalve means for the introduction of air into the interior of the tubularmember.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the object receiving upper sectionconsists of an upwardly opening receptacle, an object being securedthereto by an elongated string-like member.

5. A balancing toy comprising a resilient spring device provided at afirst end with a head engaging section, a resilient central sectionformed of a plurality of loosely wound convolutions, said centralsection being substantially in the form of an upright spiral having anenlarged base and terminating in an object receiving upper section, anda resilient outwardly directed loosely wound convolution secured to endextending from the top of the head engaging section to the lowermostconvolution of the central section so as to allow for a verticalmovement of that portion of the spring device above the head engagingsection, said central section being of a size so as to allow for itsmovement down about the head engaging section without contact therewith.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 674,303 5/01Morgan 273-97 2,357,746 9/44 Kuss 27257 2,707,936 5/55- Kiehl 273-57 X2,808,807 10/57 Winton et a1,

2,958,156 11/60 Schmahl et al 4651 2,960,793 11/60 Cleave 46-473,098,316 7/ 63 McCarthy 273109 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,012,856 4/ 52France.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner.

1. A BALANCING TOY COMPRISING A UNITARY RESILIENT SPRING DEVICE PROVIDEDAT A FIRST END WITH A HEAD ENGAGING SECTION FORMED OF A PLURALITY OFTIGHTLY WOUND CONVOLUTIONS, AND A CENTRAL SECTION FORMED OF A PLURALITYOF LOOSELY WOUND CONVOLUTIONS, SAID CENTRAL SECTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLYIN THE FORM OF AN UPRIGHT SPIRAL HAVING AN ENLARGED BASE AND TERMINATINGIN AN OBJECT RECEIVING UPPER SECTION, THE UPPERMOST CONVOLUTION OF THEHEAD ENGAGING SECTION ENDING IN AN OUTWARDLY DIRECTED LOOSELY WOUNDCONVOLUTION TERMINATING IN AND INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH THE ENLARGED BASEOF THE SPIRAL SO AS TO ALLOW FOR A VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THAT PORTION OFTHE SPRING DEVICE ABOVE THE HEAD ENGAGING SECTION, SAID CENTRAL SECTIONBEING OF A SIZE AS TO ALLOW FOR ITS MOVEMENT DOWN ABOUT THE HEADENGAGING SECTION WITHOUT THEREWITH.